CBS's 2010-11 Schedule

While CBS has probably the most stability in terms of new shows they also have what are probably the most changes of any of the networks.

Cancelled: Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs, Miami Medical, Accidentally On Purpose, New Adventures Of Old Christine.

Renewed: How I Met Your Mother, Rules Of Engagement, Two And A Half Men, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, CSI, The Mentalist, Medium, The Amazing Race, Undercover Boss

Moved: Big Bang Theory, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, Survivor

New: Mike & Molly, Hawaii Five-O, The Defenders, $#*! My Dad Says, Blue Bloods

For the mid-season CBS has an as yet untitled spin-off from Criminal Minds.

Complete Schedule: (New shows in Capitals, except CSI, and NCIS)

Monday
8:00-8:30 p.m.: How I Met Your Mother
8:30-9:00 p.m.: Rules Of Engagement
9:00-9:30 p.m.: Two And A Half Men
9:30-10:00 p.m.: MIKE & MOLLY
10:00-11:00 p.m.: HAWAII FIVE-0

Tuesday
8:00-9:00 p.m.: NCIS
9:00-10:00 p.m.: NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00-11:00 p.m.: The Good Wife

Wednesday
8:00-9:00 p.m.: Survivor (new day and time)
9:00-10:00 p.m.: Criminal Minds
10:00-11:00 p.m.: THE DEFENDERS

Thursday
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Big Bang Theory (new day & time)
8:30-9:00 p.m.: $#!* MY DAD SAYS
9:00-10:00 p.m.: CSI
10:00-11:00 p.m.: The Mentalist

Friday
8:00-9:00 p.m.: Medium
9:00-10:00 p.m.: CSI: New York (new day & time)
10:00-11:00 p.m.: BLUE BLOODS

Saturday
8:00-10:00 p.m.: Crimetime Saturday (reruns)
10:00-11:00 p.m.: 48 Hours Mysteries

Sunday
7:00-8:00 p.m.: 60 Minutes
8:00--9:00 p.m.: The Amazing Race
9:00-10:00 p.m.: Undercover Boss
10:00-11:00 p.m.: CSI: Miami (new day & time)

Mike & Molly, the latest comedy from Chuck Lorre, is a love story about a couple of people who don't exactly fit into society's vision of attactive. Chicago cop Mike Biggs (Billy Gardell) and fourth grade teacher Molly Flynn (Melissa McCarthy) meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. While Mike and Molly want to lose weight they do face obstacles bigger than a mutual fondness for pie and a mutual desire to resist temptation. Reno Wilson co-stars as Mike's partner Carl, while Swoozie Kurtz plays Molly's mother Joyce and Katy Mixon plays Molly's sexy sister Victoria. Rounding out the cast is Nyambi Nyambi as Samuel, the waiter at the diner where Mike and Carl eat, who finds the concept of eating less entire incomprehensible.

Hawaii Five-0 is the revival of the classic series from the 1970s. Starring Alex O'Laughlin as Steve McGarrett, a cop and former naval officer who returned to Hawaii to track down his father's murderer. He decides to stay after the Governor (Jean Smart) asks him to head-up a new state police unit. Making up his team are Danny "Danno" Williams (Scott Caan), a former New Jersey cop who has relocated to Hawaii with his 8 year-old daughter, Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) an ex-Honolulu detective wrongly accused of corruption who was also McGarrett's father's protégé, and Chin Ho's cousin Kono (Grace Park) who is fresh out of the police academy.

The Defenders is nothing like the classic 1960s series of the same name. This version is a comedy drama about a pair of hotshot Las Vegas attorneys who go all out to represent their clients. Pete Kascmarek (Jerry O'Connell) has a passion for the law as well as for expensive clothes, fast cars and beautiful women. His partner Nick Morelli (James Belushi) is a an earnest hard charging lawyer who is trying to his marriage to his estranged wife (Gillian Vigman) and remain a presence in his son's life. Their new associate Lisa Tyler (Jurnee Smollett) is enthusiastic and determined to put her past as an exotic dancer behind her. Tanya Fischer also appears as their eager to please assistant Sophie.

$#!* (pronounced "Bleep") My Dad Says is undoubtedly the first TV series based on a Twitter feed. The feed in this case is called Shit My Dad Says but we all know how that would fly as a title for a TV series. William Shatner (must resist the desire to pun on this) stars as Ed, the titular Dad. Ed is prone to rants on just about any subject he can think of and political correctness is the last thing on his mind. Ed has two sons, Vince (Will Sasso) the meek half of a husband and wife real estate team dominated by his wife Kathleen (Nicole Sullivan), and Henry, a struggling writer and unpaid blogger (a type I'm eminently familiar with). When Henry (currently uncast) is unable to pay his part of the rent to his roommate Sam (Stephanie Lemelin) Ed suggests that Henry move in with him. The pilot at least was directed by sitcom veteran James Burrows. Oh, and late breaking news (like this is a huge surprise; The Parents Television Council has denounced CBS for the show: "CBS intentionally chose to insert an expletive into the actual name of a show, and, despite its claim that the word will be bleeped, it is just CBS' latest demonstration of its contempt for families and the public. There are an infinite number of alternatives that CBS could have chosen but its desire to shock and offend is crystal clear in this decision." Whatever?!)

Blue Bloods is a police drama following three generations of the Reagan family. Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) is the family patriarch and New York's Chief of Police, just as his father Henry (Len Cariou) had been. Frank has three children; Danny (Donnie Wahlburg) a veteran detective, family man, and Iraq war veteran whose tactics on the job can be a bit dubious; daughter Erin (Bridget Moynahan), a New York ADA and a new single parent; and Jamie, a Harvard Law graduate who gives up a lucrative career as a lawyer to enter the "family business." After graduating from the Police Academy his life takes an unexpected turn when he's asked to become involved in an undercover investigation that even his father knows nothing about and which could have an impact on the family legacy.

The as yet unnamed Criminal Minds spinoff stars Oscar winner Forrest Whitaker as Sam Cooper, the head of an elite team from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. Sam's team is an unusual one, not drawn from the usual run of Quantico trained agents. They include Mick Rawson (Matt Ryan), a former member of Britain's Special Forces who is an ace marksman and "an undiluted eye for rooting out evil"; John "Prophet" Sims (Michael Kelly), an ex-con with a street smart edge and a zen-like calm; and Gina LaSalle (Beau Garrett), a tough and attractive agent with a cunning sense of perception.

Comments:

CBS network boss Les Moonves described this line-up as an example of "aggressive stability." It's an apt description. The moves that Moonves announced were aggressive, attacking moves but also moves that recognised that some CBS shows, while retaining value as properties aren't what they used to be. Moving the two CSI shows not only recognises that their audiences are slipping but also acknowledges that the network has some weak points where established shows can be effective. Over the past few years CBS has had problems with the second hour of Fridays and the third hour of Sundays. The latter time slot in particular has been a show killer for CBS, so moving what was once the most popular show in the world there has to be seen as an effort to take back the hour. As for moving The Big Bang Theory to lead for $#!* My Dad Says, I think this will be a real threat to the NBC sitcoms that it will be going up against. This is actually a comedy bloc that I'm looking forward to, which something I don't often say. As for the other comedy, I'm sure that Mike & Molly will do just fine in its Monday night slot but I confess it just doesn't fire me up.

Turning to the other new shows, the one that I feel least comfortable with is The Defenders. Quirky lawyers can work but given the two lead cast members it just seems like it will be more comedy than drama. Further, I guess I have a tendency to just dislike both O'Connell and Belushi. I have higher hopes for Hawaii Five-0. I think that it is both familiar enough for people to turn in and far enough in the past that people who aren't old farts like me won't be nit picking about it. A lot will depend on the producers, writers and directors on the project making us buy Alex O'Loughlin as Steve McGarrett. Jack Lord had a certain quality that O'Loughlin in his recent series has yet to show me. (And in the spirit of nit-pickery, I would like to mention that not only does the show not have any native Hawaiians/Polynesian actors, but not one of the principal cast members was born in Hawaii.) The CBS show that I think might have the most potential to hold me is Blue Bloods. I'm a fan of Tom Selleck of course, but have been a fan of Donnie Wahlburg's acting since seeing him in Boomtown. I think that the multi-generational and family aspects of this take it beyond the realm of the "ordinary" procedural and have the potential to make it into something special.

Later today, The CW.